Reaching Out a Daring Hand
by wingedflower
Summary: Keith and Shiro visit a very sick Lance at the infirmary. Keith is extremely uncomfortable with the whole situation, but at the end he manages to learn a thing or two about being a good friend.


"I still don't get why I have to go too," Keith grumbled.

Shiro put his hands on his hips, giving Keith what was known as his classic 'dad glare' (which Keith simply could not avoid, no matter how much he wanted to). "Because he's your teammate and you need to be there for him and support him."

"But he doesn't need my support!" Keith burst out, throwing his arms in frustration. "In fact, I'm sure he'll be much better without it!"

His answer only deepened Shiro's frown. "Keith, don't talk about yourself like this. I know you care a lot about your friends, even it's hard for you to show it sometimes."

Keith ran a hand through his hair. "I just… I'm not good at those things," he said weakly. "I won't know what to say. It'll be… really awkward."

Shiro sighed, though not in exasperation. "You're going to be fine. You just have to sit there for a while and ask how he feels and if he needs anything. Trust me, it's not that hard; and besides, I'm going to be there with you the entire time." He paused for a second, then added, "Don't forget that Lance would have done the same thing for you."

And with that Keith knew he had no other choice. Damn Shiro and his good, educational arguments.

He got up from his bed with a grunt and shuffled after Shiro in the direction of the infirmary, where Lance had been spending the past two days. The blue paladin had caught some kind of virus on the last planet they liberated. Fortunately, it wasn't life-threatening, but it was still pretty hard on the human body. Lance has been suffering from high fever, nauseas and overall pain – the latter had Coran fix him up with some pretty strong painkillers. The medicine, combined with the fever, has mostly left Lance either sleeping or hallucinating, which the others - once Coran assured them it was perfectly normal and would be over in a few days, once the fever broke down – found somewhere between slightly disturbing and weirdly hilarious.

Well, the others minus Keith. He has been avoiding visiting the infirmary until now, stopping by a few times only to hear Coran's updates and quickly fleeing to his room or the training deck or whatever.

He knew he's been acting like a jerk, but it was nothing personal against Lance. He actually felt pretty sorry for the guy. It just that… well, Keith wasn't exactly an expert in this whole comfort thing. In fact, he was pretty bad at it. He just didn't know what he could possibly say to make Lance feel better – especially Lance, who always flared up at every word that came out of Keith's mouth. Besides, if Lance spent most of the time sleeping, it was probably a bad thing to wake him up and force him into a conversation, right?

He has been mulling over these thoughts for two days until Shiro came into his room and pretty much ordered him to come with him to visit Lance.

And Keith was never really able to argue with Shiro, so… there he was. Maybe it was best to get this over with anyway. He was the red paladin of Voltron; if he could deal with an entire fleet of Galra, he could handle a short visit to a sick friend.

He hoped.

They reached the infirmary before Keith knew it, and Shiro guided him to the bed Lance was currently occupying. Keith walked slowly, eyes darting at all directions before he had no choice but lower his gaze and focus on the person in bed.

To put it gently, Lance looked terrible. His skin was abnormally pale save for the deep flush of his cheeks, indicating he was still running quite a fever. His hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his eyes were half-closed, so Keith couldn't figure out whether he was awake or not.

He also noticed a large bucket placed under the bed and was more than grateful to see it was empty.

"Hey, buddy," Shiro said and settled in one of the two chairs next to Lance's bed, signaling at Keith to do the same. "How are you feeling?"

Lance blinked once, very slowly, as if this tiny movement was costing him great effort. "I'm sick," he rasped. Quiznak, his voice sounded even worse than what he looked like.

Shiro smiled sadly. "Yes, you are. But you're going to get better soon, I promise." He patted Lance's shoulder, careful not to touch the IV that protruded from his lower arm. "And look, Keith is here too."

Keith's eyes widened as he realized it was his turn to speak. "Um, hello," he muttered, shifting slightly in his chair.

Lance stared at Keith for a long time, squinting hard, and Keith wasn't sure if he was trying to see him better or express his dissatisfaction with his presence. He hoped it was the first option.

"Hunk was here before," Lance said eventually, still staring at Keith. Keith flinched. He had no idea why Lance had just said that. Did he want Hunk to come back and replace Keith? Well, Keith couldn't blame him.

Luckily, Shiro took it on himself to continue the conversation. "I know, bud. He left just a few minutes before we arrived. Did you have a nice visit? What did you guys talk about?"

Lance licked his dry lips. "Milkshakes."

"Oh, really? What about them?"

"Or maybe rocks..." Lance tilted his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. "Can't remember."

"That's okay," Shiro reassured. "Either way, I'm sure it was a great talk."

God, Keith has spent barely two minutes in this room and he already wanted to run away. Lance was so incoherent he felt like they were talking to a toddler. And Keith was not good with kids.

But Shiro had told him to be a good friend and Lance clearly needed one right now, so he had to at least try. "Do you need anything?" he asked bluntly.

Both Shiro and Lance stared at him and Keith felt his ears heat up. What? Shiro had told him to ask that!

Shiro's lips quickly curled into a small smile and Keith relaxed the slightest bit. He turned back to Lance as the latter seemed to ignore the question. "Lance, Keith just asked you if he could bring you anything," he said. "Don't be shy; we're here to help."

Lance's eyes drooped down and Keith thought he might fall asleep again, but suddenly he jerked upwards, looking at Shiro with unexplained urgency. "You gotta go feed Marco," he croaked.

Keith quirked an eyebrow, but Shiro seemed to somehow know what Lance was talking about as he leaned a bit closer to the sick boy and said, "Of course we'll go, don't even worry about this." He turned slightly to Keith and muttered, "Apparently Lance used to feed this stray cat under his house. Its name is Marco and he keeps asking if someone has been taking care of it while he's gone. It's… actually kind of adorable."

Keith nodded silently. Although it was a bit scary to see Lance so out of it, he did feel a pinch in his heart for not knowing this fact about him, while Shiro – and probably the others too – knew it well.

He really has been a lousy friend recently. But he was determined to fix it.

Lance didn't seem pleased with Shiro's answer as he struggled to sit up in bed, grabbing weakly at the black paladin's wrist. His eyes were completely glazed over. "I can't feed him if I'm here," he said, a hint of panic in his voice. "You have to go in my place. He'll starve. Promise me, papa."

Keith tensed in his chair. What did Lance just call Shiro?

However, Shiro seemed completely unshaken by the situation. He only smiled again and gently pried Lance's hand off his wrist while raising his other hand to rest on the boy's head. "Alright, Lance, I promise."

"Shiro…" Keith hesitated. He had no idea how Shiro remained so calm. Lance mistaking him for his father could only mean his fever was spiking right now, and that had to be a bad thing, no? Shouldn't they call someone?

"It's okay, Keith," Shiro said patiently. He slowly pushed Lance back to a lying position before whispering from the corner of his mouth, "It's not the first time it happens. Coran says it's just the meds and the fever messing up his mind. We just need to play along."

Keith hummed in understanding, though he was still quite agitated. This was so weird. He was so glad Shiro was with him, because honestly, he had no idea what he would have done if Lance had called him 'papa'.

As if on cue, Lance fixated his gaze on Keith and said with complete confidence, "He really likes your arroz con leche, mama. You should make some and give it to him. I can't eat anything right now because I always end up puking."

Keith blanched, then turned red so quickly it sent him dizzy for a second. Even Shiro finally lost his calm as he released a loud snort of laughter, and Keith's face became practically crimson.

"Has this also happened before?" Keith asked through gritted teeth.

Shiro swallowed another snort though his shoulders still shook in silent laughter. "Yes, but only with Allura," he said in a choked voice. "What do you know, he really likes you being here."

"Shut up!" Keith snapped, but then he caught Lance's expression and realized to his horror that the boy looked on the verge of tears. "Um, I mean…" Ah, to quiznak with that. "Sure, I'll make the… thing… and, ah, give it to Marco," he said mechanically.

To his immense relief, Lance gave a lopsided smile and the tears seemed to be gone for now. "You're the best, mama," he said.

Keith only nodded again, very aware of Shiro's amused gaze and intent on avoiding it at all costs.

Unfortunately, the moment of peace only lasted for a few seconds, as Lance suddenly let out a pained groan and curled on his side, squeezing his eyes shut.

"What? What's wrong?" Keith didn't even notice he got up from the chair until Shiro stretched out an arm to stop him from leaping on the bed.

Lance released a weak sob and curled into himself a bit tighter. "Me duele la cabeza," he said in a tight voice.

Keith felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had no idea what Lance had just said, but reverting to Spanish on top of all the hallucinations could not mean anything good.

Even Shiro finally looked more alarmed, if only slightly. "Can you please repeat that in English, Lance? We didn't quite catch what you said."

Lance groaned as if annoyed by the request, but complied nonetheless. "My head hurts," he moaned.

Shiro released a long breath. "I'm sorry to hear about that, buddy. But we have to wait a few more hours until we can give you another dose of painkillers. Do you want an ice pack in the meantime? It'll help, not only with the pain but also the fever."

Lance shook his head weakly. "Cold," he said. A shiver ran though his body.

Shiro sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it'll numb some of the pain. We can get you another blanket if you want." But he seemed reluctant at the last offer, and Keith could understand that. He also didn't think it was particularly smart to warm up Lance more when he was already boiling with fever.

Lance's face crumpled and Keith feared that this time he was going to cry for real. "I…" his voice died down. "No. Forget it. No importa."

"Hey, it's okay," Shiro reassured again. "Whatever it is, just ask. We only want you to feel better, Lance."

Lance blinked one hazy eye open. "Mama… mama's hand always feels so nice on my forehead when it hurts," he whispered.

Oh, hell no. Keith pulled his chair back instinctively. He wanted to be there for Lance, but there was a limit to everything.

"Keith," Shiro said in a low voice and raised his eyebrows in emphasis.

Keith pursed his lips. "Shiro, can I speak with you for a minute? Alone?"

Shiro did not look pleased at all, but gave a nod anyway and got up from his chair. "We'll be right back, buddy," he told Lance, but the boy seemed to be too focus on his own misery to care.

Keith dragged Shiro to the far corner of the infirmary, next to the doors. "I'm not doing that," he said sharply.

Shiro crossed his arms. "He's suffering and that's the only thing that might bring him some comfort at this point. Come on, Keith, be a good friend."

"I'm trying!" Keith hissed. "I talked to him and pretended to be his mother and all, but this… this is too much! He's never going to shut up about this!" he knew he sounded childish, but he couldn't help it.

Shiro sighed, looking suddenly more tired than angry. "Look, I know you're uncomfortable with this, but you have to remember that this is way harder for Lance. He's sick and in pain and misses his family, and since we're not going back to Earth any time soon, we have to be his family right now. And when someone from your family is having a hard time, you do everything you can to make him feel better, even if it's hard or embarrassing. Besides, for what it's worth, I don't think he's even going to remember that later, so you really have nothing to worry about."

Keith didn't even bother to open his mouth to keep arguing, because he knew Shiro was right in every word. He glanced at the direction of Lance's bed and swallowed thickly, realizing that Lance hadn't been trying to mess with him or whine merely for the sake of whining (which he liked to do quite often); he was miserable for real, and all he wanted was someone to make the pain go away and tell him everything was going to be alright.

And Keith knew that feeling all too well. Back when he lived alone in the desert, he found himself wishing for the same thing almost every day. But he never got what he wished for.

Well, the least he could do was try and help Lance get it. It was probably going to be extremely lame compared to the real thing, but it was still better than nothing.

Keith sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I'll… I'll do it."

Shiro beamed at him. "Thank you, Keith. I'm really proud of you."

Keith mumbled something and turned away from Shiro, walking back to the bed and settling in the chair close to Lance's head. Lance was still in the same fetal position, head buried almost completely in his pillow. Whether it was to ease the pain or hide his suffering from them, Keith didn't know, but it made his heart clench anyway.

He raised one shaky hand – damn it, why was it shaking? It wasn't like Lance was going to bite him or anything – and made it halfway to Lance's head when he realized he was still wearing his glove. Assuming the coarse leather would probably feel too prickly for Lance, he yanked it off at once and continued to lower his hand until his palm rested on Lance's forehead.

Quiznak, the blue paladin was hot to the touch. No wonder he felt so awful. It was almost like touching Red's outer armor after she released a series of fireballs. But the second Keith's hand landed on his forehead Lance leaned into the touch like a cat, and Keith could feel him relax considerably.

"Y'r hands are cool," he slurred without opening his eyes. "S'nice."

Keith brushed one tentative thumb against Lance's sweaty brow. "Good." He took a deep breath. "Now go to sleep. Everything is going to be alright."

Lance gave a faint smile and sank back into the pillow. "Gracias, mama."

This word Keith knew, for a change. "You're welcome," he said quietly, an unpredicted warmth spreading through his chest.

After what seemed like eternity (but was really no more than a minute), when all Keith could focus on was the sound of Lance's even, deep breaths, he suddenly heard Shiro's voice, speaking very gently. "Keith, I think he's fallen asleep now."

Keith's eyes widened at once, like he was waking up from a trance. He inhaled sharply and snatched his hand back from Lance's forehead, folding it in his lap as if it was burnt.

When he finally brought himself to look at Shiro he found the older boy smiling fondly at him. "That was very kind of you, Keith. Lance is really lucky to have you as his friend."

Keith looked back at his knees, wondering if his face was going to be permanently red from now on. "Sure, whatever," he mumbled.

Shiro chuckled. "Well, I'm going to stay with Lance until Coran comes to check on him, but you can go if you want. I doubt he'll wake up any time soon. It looks like he's passed out for good."

Keith glanced back at Lance. He did seem to be sleeping soundly, but he was still pretty sick and feverish and Keith wondered if it was really okay to leave him like this or if he should do something to help.

As if reading his mind, Shiro said, "I'm going to put a cold compress on his forehead, but other than that there isn't really anything we can do. Coran said he wasn't in danger, remember? He'll just have to sweat it off."

This wasn't enough to sooth Keith completely, but some of the tension did leave his chest because he assumed Shiro knew what he was talking about. "Okay," he said. "So I guess I'll… go train, or something."

"Well, have fun. Try not to exhaust yourself too much."

"But call me if you need anything," Keith blurted out before he could stop himself. Shiro raised and eyebrow, and Keith flinched and mumbled, "I mean, if he gets worse or – or if you just need a break or… I don't know."

Shiro smiled. "Alright. I will." And to Keith's utter dismay, the edges of his mouth twitched. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about what happened. It'll be our secret."

Keith nodded awkwardly and all but fled the infirmary.

Well, this was probably one of the strangest experiences of his life (including being thrown into space in a huge robot lion). It wasn't so bad in the end – after all, he did make Lance feel better, which was the whole point of this visit. Still, Keith was thankful that Shiro was the only one there. He didn't dare imagine how Pidge and Hunk would react if they saw him doing… that thing he did. Pidge would probably take hundreds of photos and Hunk would simply burst into tears and hug them all to the point of strangulation. Oh, thank the universe that didn't happen.

But, strangely enough, when Lance was finally healed several days later and the castle was filled again with the sound of his long footsteps and shrieking laughter, Keith found himself feeling a pang of loss at the fact that Lance truly did not remember this particular bonding moment. Again.

He made a note to himself to try and bond more with Lance in the future, preferably when the latter was actually conscious.

Maybe he could ask him more about that cat; he wondered if Lance's family was still taking care of it in Lance's absecne. He sure hoped so.

-XX-

 **"Arroz con leche" is basically rice pudding. I've never had it, but it sounds like something a cat would like :P**

 **If you enjoyed this fic, please leave a comment! I'm kind of sick myself, so they will definitely help in cheering me up.**


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